Bulloch County Schools’ students in grades 6 to 12 will soon begin this year’s sex education and human trafficking awareness lessons, but before they start, the school district will host review sessions for parents to give them an opportunity to review the lessons and understand the facts about what is being taught. Visit www.bullochschools.org/sexedparenttoolkit for more information.
The school district has called and emailed parents whose children will have the lessons during the first semester, and it will send a parent letter and information packet home with students on Monday, Aug. 21.
For parents of students in grades 6 to 9: Students will receive sex ed and human trafficking lessons. Parents are invited to make an appointment to attend review sessions on either Monday, August 28, between 5:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. or 6:15 to 6:45 p.m., or Tuesday, January 16, 2024. Parents may make an appointment to attend either session regardless of which semester the sex education curriculum will be taught at their child’s school. Please use the www.bullochschools.org/sexedparenttoolkit website to register to attend or contact Debbie Sarratt by email for more information.
For parents of students in grades 10 to 12: Students will receive human trafficking lessons. Parents are invited to a drop-in review session on Monday, August 28, between 5:30 p.m. to 6:45 p.m., or Tuesday, January 16, 2024. No registration is necessary.
Sex Education Information
Students in grades 6 to 9 will receive a 10-day unit in sex education and human trafficking awareness either first or second semester depending on their school’s schedule. The school district is committed to an abstinence-based curriculum which focuses on teaching students to set goals, understand boundaries, and keep themselves safe, online and in person.
Classes are single-gender with boys placed with a male instructor and girls with a female instructor. All grade levels will also participate in a pre and post survey designed to assist with the continued improvement of the curriculum and instruction.
Topics covered in the Sex Education curriculum differ based on the appropriateness for each grade level. They include the following:
- Abstinence Education – All grade levels
- Respecting Boundaries – All grade levels
- Positive Life Choices / Setting Goals -All grade levels
- Effective Communication – All grade levels
- Puberty – All grade levels
- Staying Safe Online – All grade levels
- Human Trafficking Awareness and Prevention – All grade levels
- Female and Male Reproductive Systems – All grade levels
- HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Infections – All grade levels
- Reproduction and Teen Pregnancy – 7th, 8th, and 9th grade only
- Contraception and Pregnancy Prevention – 8th, and 9th grade only
- Sexual Harassment/Sexual Violence Prevention – 8th, and 9th grade only
- Human Trafficking Information
Instruction about human trafficking awareness and prevention will also be included during this 10-day health unit. This is a state mandate for all students in grades 6 to 12, but it is especially important because Georgia has a high percentage of human trafficking. During this training, students will learn the risk factors and protective factors for human trafficking.
Opt Out Option
Parents and guardians have the option to exclude their child from the 10-day sex education curriculum. If this is your choice, please complete an opt-out form and send it to your child’s teacher. Students who are opted-out of sex education will receive an independent study folder with assignments on other health topics and will be located in an alternate supervised location during this class period throughout the 10-day unit. An opt out form will be sent home in the parent packet and the form is available online at www.bullochschools.org/sexedparenttoolkit or from your child’s school.
Student Pre- & Post-Lesson Surveys
All students in grades 6 to 12 will participate in a pre and post survey designed to assist with the continued improvement of the school district’s curriculum and instruction. If you would like for your child to receive the lessons but not participate in the survey, contact Debbie Sarratt by email at dsarratt@bullochschools.org.
About Sex Education Lessons in Bulloch County
State law and Bulloch County Board of Education policy now require implementation of a sex education and human trafficking program. An initial community committee was formed by the school district in February of 2019, and it collaborated with the Jiann-Ping Hsu College of Public Health at Georgia Southern University to choose course topics and curriculum, which are based on national and state health education standards. A Sex Education committee continues to meet annually to review proposed updates and revisions based on data from teacher and student surveys.
The sex education program is for grades six to nine and focuses on male and female reproductive system definitions, sex violence prevention, and preventative health measures. It does not teach sex choices, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Curriculum can be reviewed by parents and an option to opt their child out of the 10-day unit is available.
Abstinence is the basis of all lessons; however, facts about contraception for the prevention of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are provided to students in grades eight and nine.
The curriculum does not influence values or choices related to sex. Those are the responsibility of the individual students and their families. If students have questions about topics which are not covered in the curriculum, teachers will refer students to a trusted adult (parent, counselor, school nurse) to have a one-on-one conversation.
The topics, while sensitive, are meant to give students age-appropriate terms and factual information to help them understand what they are already seeing and experiencing in the world around them.
About Human Trafficking Lessons in Bulloch County
Georgia’s Senate Bill 287 mandates that all students in grades 6 to 12 receive instruction concerning trafficking prevention and awareness.
Students in grades six to nine receive the human trafficking awareness lesson as part of their sex education curriculum. Students in grades 10 to 12 receive a separate human trafficking awareness lesson.
All communities, whether urban, rural, or suburban are vulnerable to the injustice and dangers of human trafficking. Students are one of the highest-risk populations, and traffickers are targeting them to become both victims and perpetrators. We can save lives by teaching students how to recognize the warning signs of human trafficking and who to contact for assistance.
